50 Cent Sues Taco Bell
50 Cent is suing Taco Bell because he said they are using his name without his permission in their advertising. According to the suit the print ad shows the rapper asking him to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent. His real name is Curtis Jackson.
The rapper’s court papers say the ad is part of Taco Bell’s “Why Pay More?” campaign, which promotes items for under a dollar, including Cinnamon Twists for 79 cents, Crunchy Tacos for 89 cents and Bean Burritos for 99 cents. The papers say the Irvine, Calif.-based company sent a bogus letter requesting the name change to the news media but not to the rapper.
The rapper’s lawyer, Peter D. Raymond, said his client didn’t learn about the letter or that he was featured in the ad campaign until he saw a news report about it. Raymond said his client is seeking $4 million in damages. Taco Bell Corp. spokesman Rob Poetsch issued a statement saying: “We made a good faith, charitable offer to 50 Cent to change his name to either 79, 89 or 99 Cent for one day by rapping his order at a Taco Bell, and we would have been very pleased to make the $10,000 donation to the charity of his choice.”